Juventus defender Federico Gatti is a doubt for the club's opening Serie A match against Frosinone on Sunday after being injured by a fan who slide tackled him during a pre-season friendly at the Allianz Stadium.
The 28-year-old Italian centre-back was forced to sit out Juventus's latest training session on Thursday with an ankle problem. The injury occurred when a supporter lost balance and collided with him during a pitch invasion at the club's home ground in Turin.
Footage of the incident posted on social media platform X by user Paolo (@Paolo78475202) showed the supporter racing across the field towards Gatti. The Italian international defender was facing away and unaware of the fan approaching from behind.
An unfortunate slip caused the supporter to lose balance and slide two-footed into Gatti at high speed, sending the player crashing to the turf. Other spectators quickly arrived at the scene of the collision, and Gatti fortunately escaped without a serious injury.
Pre-season friendly tradition disrupted
The accidental tackle occurred during an annual exhibition match in which the main Juventus squad plays against Juventus NextGen, the club's development team that competes in Serie C. The fixture is traditionally staged at the Allianz Stadium as a family-friendly summer celebration, where supporters are accustomed to invading the field during the final minutes of play.
The pitch invasion started earlier than scheduled this year when one supporter jumped over the perimeter barrier and ran onto the field of play. Hundreds of other spectators immediately followed the individual onto the turf.
Although Gatti's absence from Thursday's training session was treated as a precautionary measure, Italian sports newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport reported that there is a genuine risk he will miss the season-opening Serie A fixture against Frosinone on Sunday.
Stadium damage and future format review
Along with Gatti's ankle injury, Juventus officials assessed the aftermath of the pitch invasion and calculated that the crowd caused £43,000 worth of damage to the Allianz Stadium. The venue must undergo repair work prior to the club's first home game of the domestic league season.
Following the player's injury and the financial cost of repairing the facility, Juventus executives are reported to be reconsidering the future format of the traditional annual friendly.
